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The Cost of Chronic Disease in Indonesia

1:50 pm EST Apr 21, 2015
By Anita Rachman
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Chronic diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, could potentially reduce Indonesia’s productivity and economic growth if nothing is done to reduce mortality rates, a new report from the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health shows. And for Southeast Asia’s largest economy, the cost of those losses could be tremendous, says the report.

Just how much  could they be? Here’s a look at the numbers.

    $4.4 trillion
 
The amount Indonesia could potentially lose from 2012 to 2030 due to the impact of chronic or “non-communicable” diseases (NCDs) — since they could reduce the country’s workforce and productivity.  As Indonesia develops and more of its population moves into the middle class, its disease burden is shifting from communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis and measles, to more chronic NCDs. According to the report, the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in Indonesia today include cancers, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory ailments and diabetes.
 
The Ministry of Health says these diseases have become more common due lack of exercise and healthy food, which lead to obesity. The ministry also said a lack of proper nutrition could have an impact on peoples’ health later in life.
 
These diseases “are imposing a significant burden on Indonesia’s economy that will likely increase in the next two decades,” Arnaud Bernaert, Senior Director for Global Health and Healthcare Industries at the World Economic Forum, said in a statement.

    11.8 million
 
The number of people estimated to live with diabetes in Indonesia by 2030. That’s almost double the 7.6 million recorded cases of diabetes in 2013, the WEF report says. Another cause of concern is the high number of regular smokers in Indonesia, a country where 67% of Indonesian males smoked as of 2011.
 
Indonesian Health Minister Nila Djuwita F. Moeloek said the government needed to work to promote healthy lifestyles through public awareness campaigns, and spend more on prevention efforts so it could eventually reduce the amount it spends on treatment. Currently the government spends 33% of its total health insurance budget on treating chronic diseases, she said.

    3.5%
 

The percentage of this year’s budget that will go toward spending on the health sector. That amounts to around 69.4 trillion rupiah ($5.3 billion) — the same as last year. The majority of that money will be spent on ensuring everyone can get access to health treatments and includes improving the quality of small and community-based hospitals in rural areas. The ministry also aims to increase the number of medical professionals in the country and upgrade equipment.